River's Serenity
by Cuda77
Summary: River Tam falls in love for the first time. But not even she could predict the tensions that would arise from falling in love with her best friend. River/Kaylee, Post-BDM.
1. Chapter 1

Without making a sound, River Tam smoothly crawled along the cold, metal floor of Serenity. Even when she wasn't trying to, River always had the ability to slide silently throughout the ship, seeming more like she was floating than walking. But on this instance, the need to stay hidden was especially important for River. Tonight, she had already caused enough trouble on the ship and if she were discovered up in the ceiling, spying on her brother, Simon, and his girlfriend, Kaylee, it would only make things worse. She finally made it over to where Simon and Kaylee were standing in the engine room and talking rather heatedly and River peeked down between the metal grates of the floor to see Simon and Kaylee on the floor below.

River couldn't make out exactly what they were saying but she knew what they had to be talking about. It hadn't been ten minutes since it had happened. But the real story behind what happened tonight had roots stemming back many weeks. Ever since the massive confrontation with the Reavers where Mal had broadcast to the entire galaxy the secrets of Miranda and the origin of the Reavers, things aboard Serenity had changed significantly in River's life. Obviously her being promoted to the pilot of Serenity after the tragic death of Wash was the most significant one in terms of duty but to River personally, the more important event was when she fell in love for the first time.

River took her focus off of Simon and Kaylee below and allowed her mind to wander back to when she first felt this amazing new feeling. It was just after the funerals held for Wash, Mr. Universe and Shepherd Book when the crew of Serenity was repairing the ship. River had been skulking around in the ceilings again and come across Kaylee and Simon in the engine room, repairing the engines. But when River came upon them, they were no longer working on the engines and instead were kissing each other passionately. River smiled to herself when she saw this because she knew how badly the two of them longed for each other and it was nice to see them finally getting to be happy with each other. But as they sunk to the floor and Simon peeled off Kaylee's tank top, River suddenly found herself unable to turn away.

While staring down at them from the ceiling, River found herself unable to take her eyes off of the young engineer. River suddenly felt very warm and felt an unusual twinge in her abdomen as she watched Simon and Kaylee continue to shed more clothing until both lay completely naked on the floor of the engine room. Even though she was a good 15 feet or so above them, River was still able to focus intently onto every little detail of Kaylee's body. Meticulously, River studied every inch of exposed flesh on Kaylee's body, studying every quivering muscle, every drop of sweat glistening on her skin. And for some reason that even she couldn't explain, River also started feeling a twinge of jealousy, wishing that it were she who was down on the floor of the engine room and not her brother. With her mind racing, River began imagining that she was indeed down there and was the one holding Kaylee's beautiful body in her arms and softly kissing her neck, making Kaylee softly whimper as she ran her rough hands down River's back.

As she watched Simon and Kaylee and fantasized about being in her brother's place, River began to feel aware of a strange feeling coming from her groin. While yes, she was aware that she had started sweating a bit herself from how warm she felt, she couldn't remember a time where she had ever sweated from her vagina before. River cautiously reached under the skirt she was wearing and slowly brushed her fingers across the soft material of her underwear and noted that her underwear was practically soaked through from the moisture now flowing from her groin. On a whim, River brought her hand up to her face and gently sniffed the fluid glistening on her finger. It definitely didn't smell like sweat, that she knew but she couldn't imagine what it could be then. She darted her hand underneath her skirt once more to investigate exactly what was going on with her body. River gently probed around her underwear, gently prodding and poking herself trying to locate the source of the fluid.

Suddenly River's fingers brushed across a small nub just above the entrance to her vagina and she felt an intense rush of ecstasy suddenly erupt throughout her body. It was so intense that River wanted to cry out because of how good it felt but knew that she mustn't be discovered so she tried to suppress the need to whimper and instead bit down on her lip. Slowly the pleasure ebbed away from her body and left River softly panting for breath. Cautiously, River gently ran her finger along the nub again and once more an intense wave of pleasure washed over her and once more River found herself biting down on her lip to keep from crying out. She remembered back to her childhood, reading through Simon's anatomy textbooks, learning about the body and strained to think about what could be causing her these feelings. She could clearly picture the section on the female reproductive system; remember every diagram, every cross-section, and even all the text, right down to the punctuation. She then remembered something called the clitoris and remembered reading that it was the pleasure center of the female reproductive system. After feeling the intense jolts of pleasure that just faint contact had caused, she certainly felt satisfied with the book's definition.

Licking her lips, River detected a faint trace of blood coming from her mouth from her efforts to stifle herself and looked down once more at Simon and Kaylee who had started making love by this point. River concentrated hard on Kaylee's face, mesmerized by how Kaylee's face contorted against her will from what Simon was doing to her. Kaylee's soft cries and whimpers made their way to River's ears, which caused River to feel even warmer inside. Like a surgeon, River studied every detail of Kaylee that she could, taking careful note of Kaylee's full breasts and how they rose and fell with every breath Kaylee took. As she watched, River noticed her hand instinctively trail back to her clitoris, which she lightly stroked, without even being able to think of why she was doing it. River also could feel her nipples hardening underneath her sweater and reached under her shirt with her free hand. She gently pinched her erect nipple and once again felt a surge of pleasure, though not nearly as intense as the sensations coming from her clitoris.

Once more, for reasons she couldn't explain or control, River was consumed with the thoughts of her being down on the floor with Kaylee, being the one to make Kaylee moan like that and having Kaylee's hands on her own body where her hands were occupied. With one hand on her breast and one between her legs, River no longer could contain herself and allowed herself to whimper and gasp from the sensations she was giving herself, deciding that Simon and Kaylee were far too busy to be able to hear her. Just then, Kaylee practically screamed out and clutched Simon's body close to her and simultaneously, River could feel a small explosion in her groin, sending massive shockwaves of pleasure crashing through her body. River's eyes rolled back and she went rigid as the intense feelings of bliss consumed her to such a degree that she couldn't even make a sound. Her brain then stopped and she just enjoyed the feeling of total bliss, not even caring about what was going on below her and instead just let herself be wrapped up in the warmth and happiness.

"What were you thinking, Kaylee?"

River blinked and suddenly she snapped back to the present where she was once again above Simon and Kaylee in the engine room. But unlike a few months ago, there was no love being shown amongst them. Simon looked angry while Kaylee just hung her head in shame. Kaylee softly muttered an answer to Simon who didn't seem pacified by it and instead starting pacing back and forth quickly while his hand plastered to his forehead. Simon stopped and took a deep breath while Kaylee said something that River could hear this time.

"She just kissed me, Simon. I couldn't help it."

River felt a great twinge of shame for what had happened in the kitchen. Yes, she had kissed Kaylee after Kaylee had managed to pin down River during a tickle fight between the two. Ever since seeing Simon and Kaylee in the engine room, River could not seem to get Kaylee out of her mind. No matter where she went, or what she was doing, River constantly had an image of Kaylee fixed in her head. She found herself longing to be around Kaylee, to see her smile, to feel her touch, to smell her hair, which River knew always managed to smell of strawberries and engine oil. Every time Kaylee was around, every time she spoke to her, every time Kaylee would gently touch her arm, River would feel a swoop in her chest and could feel blood rush to her cheeks. River had heard of the concept of love but never really understood what it would feel like or even if she would feel it at all in her life. But from what she could see in Simon and Kaylee's individual minds, she realized that they were having much of the same feelings and sensations about each other. Without meaning to, River had fallen in love with Kaylee.

And tonight she had kissed her in full view of everyone. River remembered back to the moment, remembered the electricity she felt in her lips as they pushed against Kaylee's. Remembered how Kaylee had tensed up briefly in resistance but slowly melted into the kiss and kissed River back. For just a moment, everything was perfect in River's life. But their beautiful moment was interrupted harshly by Jayne, who without any regard for privacy, blurted out, "What the hell'r you two doin'?" In an instant, River felt five pair of eyes staring intently at her and could feel the thoughts of everyone without even having to open her eyes and face them. Mal, Zoë and Inara were dumbstruck, Simon horrified and Jayne confused but River could also feel him studying the scene intently for use later in his bunk. River gently pulled back from Kaylee and looked deep into the radiant young engineer's eyes to find simultaneous fear and comfort.

River could hear Mal blustering a bit as he tried to work up something to say but before he could, the sound of heavy footsteps on metal pierced the air as Simon went storming out of the mess hall. Kaylee quickly rose and dashed out after him, leaving River alone with the inquisitive gazes of the remaining faces. Everyone just stared at River, who merely sat there, staring at her feet, knowing the gravity of what she had just done. For a full minute there was silence before River suddenly stood and walked out of the mess hall without so much as a look at any of the crew as she strided past them. Once she knew she was alone, River climbed up into the ceiling grates and set off to the engine room where she no doubt knew Simon had left for and Kaylee followed to try and explain.

Simon now had his head bowed and could be seen silently muttering to himself with his face pressed against the wall of the engine room and Kaylee just stood in the center of the room, staring down at the floor, wringing her hands together. River watched the scene intently, listening to what the two of them were feeling. Simon had a thousand questions running through his mind about the incident, never bothering to try and answer any of them. Kaylee just silently sobbed and felt miserable, trying to work out why River did that but more importantly, why she enjoyed it so much. Suddenly Simon's demeanor changed and River felt a sudden rush of fear and silently muttered "No, no, no…" to herself, trying somehow to psychically convince Simon not to do what he was thinking about doing. But it was too late. Simon slowly turned to Kaylee, trying to avoid eye contact with her as he slowly took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry Kaylee. But I can't deal with this. I don't know if it'd be smart for us to see each other anymore. I'm sorry."

And River instantly felt both Simon's and Kaylee's hearts shatter simultaneously.

Kaylee slowly looked up and at Simon, tears streaming down her face, looking for any sort of warmth from the doctor, hoping that this was just some cruel joke he was playing. But she saw nothing but coldness and stone. Kaylee had never felt pain like this before; when that weasel, Dobson, had shot her, the pain didn't feel half as bad as this did. Sobbing loudly, Kaylee dashed from the engine room, trying to get as far away from the pain as she could. Simon just stood there, head bowed in shame as tears slowly fell from his face. Suddenly he felt something wet drop onto the back of his neck from above. Looking up, he saw his sister's eyes through the grates, spilling tears down onto him. Simon shot her the dirtiest and most hateful look he could muster before walking away himself, leaving River up alone in the ceiling, sobbing.


	2. Chapter 2

Simon walked out of the engine room and immediately leaned back against the wall, holding his face in his hands. Thoughts and emotions were racing through his mind, wondering if he had truly done the right thing. All he for sure knew, though, is that he could not remember a time where he had been angrier at his sister. He didn't get much time alone as just then, Mal rounded the corner and walked up hard on Simon. Simon could see that Mal had cold fire blazing in his eyes and groaned a bit to himself, in anticipation of the verbal lashing he knew was forthcoming.

"Well doctor," Mal said with a bitter sternness to his voice, "would you care to explain to me why I just had my lovely engineer run past me, bawling her eyes out?"

Simon stood up fully and looked right into Mal's eyes.

"I imagine someone as intelligent as you, Cap'n, knows exactly why Kaylee was crying. So if you want to hit me, feel free. I'm not going to resist."

"I'm not going to hit you, boy. Not yet, anyway. First, I'd just like an explanation as to what exactly is going through that piece of gou shi brain of yours."

Simon flashed a look at Mal for the insult about his brain, but took a deep breath and just shook his head.

"I don't know Cap'n. It just seemed like the best thing to do."

"Really? So you walking out on Kaylee was the best thing. I'd like to hear exactly what your logic is behind that, doctor. Because on my boat, anything that causes grief and tension between crew members is not the best thing."

"What other choice did I have?"

"How about one where you suck it up and be a man about it? You know my stance on the crew fraternizing with each other like you and Kaylee have been. So if you want to blatantly disregard my wishes and start seeing a member of my crew, especially someone as sweet as Kaylee, you'd better make sure you're in it for the long haul. Now listen here Simon, you know we're landing on Persephone shortly so Badger can pay us for that job on Paradiso. Now I'm giving you until the time we leave there for you to fix this and make sure that everything is shiny between this entire crew. Dong-ma?"

Simon made like he was going to answer but before he could, Mal walked away, back towards the bridge.

**********

Mal now wished to speak with River since he knew Kaylee would likely be a blubbering wreck and wouldn't want to talk to anyone about things just yet. He hoped River would be on the bridge, prepping for the landing on Persephone and was thankful to find her sitting in her co-pilot chair, hugging her knees to her chest and looking miserable. Mal knew she could tell he was already outside and cautiously entered the bridge and sat down in his seat.

"We ready to break atmo little Albatross?" Mal questioned.

"I'm thinking you should handle that cap'n," River replied quietly.

"Something the matter River?"

"Ship can't fly without love powering her. And I don't have to much love to speak for right now."

"I take it you're referring to that little incident in the mess hall earlier?"

River only sniffled and nodded.

"You want to talk about it any?"

"Not much to talk about Mal. I couldn't keep my feelings in check and now Kaylee and Simon are paying for it."

"So you're saying you got…feelings for Kaylee?"

River merely nodded again, choking back a sob.

"Well listen, I can't say I blame you none for having feelings. You were captive for so long that I doubt you really had much of a chance to feel attracted to anyone growing up. Now that you're out, it's only natural that you start feeling things like you do for Kaylee. After all you've gone through, you deserve some good feelings in your life. Okay?"

"Okay. You mind if I lie down for a bit before we land?"

"Go right ahead. I'll take care of landing this boat."

River got to her feet in one graceful motion and Mal put a comforting hand on her arm. River looked down at him with tears welling up in her eyes once more before walking out of the bridge towards her bunk.

**********

The teapot whistled and Simon took it off the burner, pouring hot water into a mug where he already had a teabag waiting. After all that had happened in the past hour or so, Simon needed something hot to try and combat the gripping cold he felt inside of him. He sat down at the table and waited for his tea to steep, holding his face in his hands as he waited. He then heard someone walk into the mess hall and Simon groaned to himself, not really wanting to speak with anyone at the moment. But he was not granted his wish as Zoë sat down in front of him.

"Evening, doctor."

Simon merely nodded to acknowledge that he'd heard her but kept his head bowed towards the table.

"It's fine if you don't wanna talk. But I'll be here if you do."

"I presume you've heard?"

"I have indeed. Captain is none to happy about it."

"I'm aware. He's already let me hear it."

"So what do you plan on doing?"

"I'm really not sure. I doubt Kaylee will want to speak to me much after what happened.

Zoë nodded in understanding as Simon removed his teabag and took a sip. Suddenly, Simon did get the urge to ask Zoë about something.

"Zoë, can I ask you about Wash?"

"Um, well, sure I suppose. What's on your mind?"

"Well, while he was…with us, you two had a pretty solid relationship. But where there ever times where you wanted to leave him?"

"To be honest, yeah, there were some times where he drove me absolutely kuang zhe de. I mean sure, he made me laugh but with how little that man took things seriously, it was maddening. But no matter how much he drove me crazy and made me want to put a bullet in his brainpan, I loved him and always will."

"So, do you think I overreacted?"

"In my opinion, yes. Now I imagine that seeing your girlfriend kissing your sister like that had to hurt and be confusing but I don't think you needed to break up with her over it. Sooner or later you're going to have to realize that the rules are changed now and that things are going to happen that you will not like one bit. But the smart thing to do will be to press on and let bygones be bygones. Anyway, better get to the bridge "

Simon sighed painfully as Zoë got to her feet and headed for the bridge, leaving Simon alone with his tea.

**********

Inara walked through Serenity's corridors on her way to Kaylee's bunk. She knew that soon they'd be landing and she'd be confined to her shuttle but before they did, she wanted to see if there was anything she could do for Kaylee. She came to the door of Kaylee's bunk and even though it was closed, she could hear Kaylee's sobs down below. Inara bit her lip, feeling terrible for her friend and gently knocked at the door. Kaylee didn't respond so Inara cracked the door open and Kaylee's hysterical sobbing became even louder.

"Kaylee, it's Inara. Are you okay?"

"Please go away. I don't want to talk," croaked Kaylee between sobs.

Inara sighed to herself, wishing there was something she could do for her friend. But she knew how stubborn Kaylee could be sometimes and figured she'd best just leave her be right now. As Inara turned to leave, she saw River's eyes poking out from around the corner of the corridor but they quickly disappeared and heard River running off. Inara thought about going after her but decided against it, hoping that things would get worked out soon. With that, Inara walked off towards her shuttle to prepare for the landing on Persephone.

**********

Simon continued to sit in the mess hall, his mug of tea now empty, but still he sat there, not feeling any better. He kept instinctively sipping at the mug, even though it had been empty for quite some time. His tea wasn't on his mind; Kaylee was all he could think about. He had really begun to question if he had made the right decision when suddenly Jayne walked into the mess hall.

"Hey, we're jus' about to break atmo. Cap'n wants everyone strapped in."

"Yeah, thanks," Simon said distractedly.

"What's the matter with you, doc?"

"I just have a lot on my mind."

"Oh yeah, I understand," Jayne said with a chuckle. "After all, it ain't every day a man loses his best girl to his sister. Bet that's gotta be hard on ya, eh?"

Jayne playfully jabbed Simon in the shoulder and laughed while Simon looked up at Jayne, giving him the angriest look he could muster. Jayne put up his hands to let Simon know he was sorry and backing off.

"Hey, sorry Doc. Didn't mean anything by it. Kaylee ain't gonna leave ya for yer moon-brained sister, so relax.

"You're right Jayne, she's not gonna leave me. I already left her," Simon said hollowly.

"Oh, yeh did? Well, I'm, uh, sorry to hear that. Can't say I blame ya too much though. I'd have done the same thing. I wouldn't put up with my best girl runnin' off with some other broad, 'specially if she don't invite me along."

Jayne walked off to get strapped in for the landing at Persephone, leaving Simon sitting at the table, horrified. "Oh god," Simon thought to himself, "if Jayne would have done the same thing, I know I screwed up!" Simon picked his mug up and put it in the sink with the dirty dishes from dinner before leaving to go get strapped in.

**********

After Serenity had landed, the crew was in the cargo hold, loading up the Mule with a set of crates for Badger. Mal took a brief break and ran upstairs to the dormitories to check on Kaylee. Mal knocked on her door and immediately after, cracked the door open because he knew Kaylee wouldn't answer herself.

"Kaylee, we're heading out to meet Badger. You wanna ride along and get your cut?"

"No, thank you Cap'n. I'd just like to be alone for a while longer," Kaylee sniffled.

"Okay, suit yourself. I got that list of parts you said you needed so I'll pick those up. But I'm gonna need you to install them when I get back, dong ma?"

"Sure thing Cap'n."

"That's my girl."

Mal walked off and back to the cargo hold where everything had been loaded up and ready to be delivered.

**********

A little while later, Mal, Zoë, Jayne and River were standing in Badger's office with the crates Badger had requested. Badger doffed his trademark bowler at Mal as one of Badger's cronies stepped towards the crates with a crowbar in hand and started to pry the top off. He got it off and peered down into the box to find a set of smaller boxes that were brightly colored. The henchman picked up one of the boxes and set it on Badger's desk so Badger could inspect it more carefully.

"This is the real deal then, is it Reynolds?"

"Sure is Badger. Crate full of delicious, nutritious Fruity Oaty Bars."

"Ah, it's about gorram time. That bloody commercial plays all the ruttin time and I need to see what the big deal is."

Badger opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a sack of coins. He tossed it to Mal, who smiled and led his crew out of the office as Badger unwrapped one of the Oaty Bars. Just as the door closed, Mal could hear Badger spit and throw the bar to the ground.

"Ugh, tastes like shit. Buncha money thrown down the drain for nothin'."

Mal smiled to himself as he walked away. Soon after, the crew was sitting in a bar and Mal had poured the money out on the table. He divided up the coins amongst his crew who took their shares. Jayne immediately left, muttering about needing some alcohol and ammo.

"Right, I'll be sure to give the doctor his wage. Zoë, can you take care of Kaylee's?"

"Um, actually Cap'n, could I take care of Kaylee's share?"

"Uh, sure River. Don't see why not. Well, Zoë and I have some supplies to get so you're on your own little one. Don't get into too much trouble, ya hear?"

River smiled at Mal as he slid her Kaylee's share of money. She slipped it into the small purse she was carrying and headed out of the bar.

**********

Simon wandered through the crowded streets of Persephone, glancing around for anything that caught his fancy. He just hoped that the captain would be back soon enough to give him his pay so that he could actually pay for something. While wandering around, he spotted his sister for the first time since he caught her in the ceiling, watching him break up with Kaylee. She was standing at a produce stand, and was paying the merchant as Simon walked over to her. As she turned to leave, she saw her brother coming towards her and immediately her face fell.

"River! River, can we please talk?"

"What's to talk about? I kissed Kaylee and you broke up with her. Seems pretty simple to me."

River tried to set off but Simon cornered her against a wall and River rolled her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest, waiting for her brother to make his point.

"Listen, I realize now that I made a mistake. And I'm going to try to make it up to Kaylee, okay?"

"It's your life Simon, do what you please. At least until you screw up and break her heart again."

"Hey, I may have screwed up but it wouldn't have happened if you wouldn't have kissed her. Speaking of which, why'd you do that mei-mei? You know that Kaylee's mine."

"Yours?" River scoffed. "Let me tell you something Simon Tam, Kaylee isn't some piece of property. You don't own her. She is her own person. At least I understand that. And Kaylee understands that about me. She sees me as a girl and nothing more. Not as a weapon, not as a broken valuable and certainly not as some gorram science fair project."

Simon's face hardened and he looked right into his sister's eyes, the rage for her that he felt back in the engine room returning.

"Now you listen to me River, and you listen good. I have given up everything in my life for you. I gave up my career, I gave up my money, I gave up my home, I even gave up my reputation as an upstanding citizen so that I could break you out of that Academy. I've given the world to you and this is the thanks you give me? After all I've done for you? Breaking you out and trying to get you back to the sister I love and did everything for? And now I finally find one piece of happiness in this 'verse and you want to take it away from me? You know, sometimes, I wonder if it was even at all worth it."

Simon stared angrily at his sister who definitely seemed shaken by his words. She could only look at the dusty road, and over the tumult of the crowd, Simon could hear her sniffling. But when she looked up at him, there was cold fury in her eyes beneath the tears as she began her retort.

"All you've gone through? Well what about me, Simon? What about how much I've been put through? Do you think it was easy back there, getting my brain played with and being transformed into a killer? Was that supposed to be a fun time for me? Don't you dare tell me about going through hardship because you will never know what I've been through. So why can't I have a little fun for once? Why can't I have something in my life that makes me smile and be thankful to be here? Don't I deserve that? I guess I don't. Sometimes I wonder why you decided to break me out in the first place. I mean if I'm such a burden to you and caused you to lose everything, why would you even bother?"

Before Simon could say anything, River ran off down the street, tears streaming down her cheeks as she clutched whatever she had bought against her. Simon was left standing alone once again, getting the distinct feeling that he had messed up even worse and that the captain would be having words with him once he found out.

**********

Translations:

gou shi - crap

kuang zhe de - nuts


	3. Chapter 3

Kaylee sat on her bed, gently sobbing to herself. Her eyes were puffed up and tearstains lined her cheeks. She couldn't remember a time she had felt more horrible and the only thing she could think to do was to cry and hold her pillow. But even though she was feeling worse than she had in her entire life, she couldn't help occasionally thinking back to the kiss that had started this whole mess. Kaylee was, of course, sad and upset at all the damage it had caused but she couldn't bring herself to be mad at River for it. Nor could she bring herself to think of it as an unpleasant experience. After the brief moment of surprise, Kaylee could remember feeling pure comfort and warmth. There was intensity and a gentle passion in the kiss from River and Kaylee found she subconsciously wishing she could feel River's lips against hers again.

And for the first time since yesterday, Kaylee felt herself smile.

Just then there was a knock at the door to her bunk and Kaylee's brief moment of happiness evaporated instantly. Why couldn't they just leave her alone for once? Kaylee was about to raise her voice in protest to anyone checking on her but then the hatch opened and a small voice came from above.

"Kaylee?"

Without even having time to think about it, Kaylee had sprung off of her bed and dashed over to the ladder. She looked up the hatch to see River standing there, gazing down at her with a troubled look on her face. In her arms, Kaylee could see River clutching a small box. Kaylee sniffled a bit and beckoned for River to come down. River climbed down the ladder and found herself face-to-face with Kaylee for the first time since their fateful kiss.

"Hi," River said nervously, fumbling with her small purse. "Um, Cap'n gave me your cut of the money and asked me to give it to you, so here you go."

"Oh, well, thank you sweetie."

Kaylee took the money from River's hand and set it down on her nightstand. The two women then shared an uncomfortable silence, neither one able to look the other in the eye. Without warning, River burst into tears, dropped the box she was holding and ran into Kaylee's arms. Kaylee was caught off guard but hugged the young woman against her, gently stroking her long hair.

"I'm so sorry, Kaylee. I'm so sorry," River sobbed.

"Shh, it's okay sweetheart. I'm okay."

"You can't lie to me Kaylee. I've been able to feel you lately. I can feel you right now. You're not okay. You're miserable and lonely and it's all my fault," River sniffled.

"No, honey. It's not your fault. It was probably only a matter of time before your brother found something wrong with me that he could no longer be a part of."

"I suppose you're right, Simon's such a boob."

Kaylee giggled and lightly kissed River on the top of her head. River looked up into Kaylee's eyes, smiling herself for the first time in awhile.

"Can I sit down?" River asked, gesturing to Kaylee's bed.

"Of course mei-mei."

Kaylee led River over to her bed and sat down on the edge of it. River sat down as well and laid her head back into Kaylee's lap where Kaylee continued stroking River's hair. The two sat in silence for a few moments but after a bit, Kaylee's mind started wandering back to River kissing her and wondering why she did it.

"I just couldn't help myself. You looked so beautiful and were right there in front of me that it was all I could think to do."

Kaylee rolled her eyes to herself; she always hated when River would answer questions before they could be asked. But her annoyance was only temporary as Kaylee was more interested in something else River had said.

"You think I'm beautiful River?"

River nodded and looked up at Kaylee, smiling warmly.

"You really are a wonderful person, Kaylee. You're probably the one true friend I have on this boat. You're the only person who gets me, who sees me not as something more than just a girl. Everyone else looks at me either as a dangerous weapon that should be feared or as a broken vase, needing to be put back together. But you just see me as River."

Kaylee's eyes started tearing up again from River's words. But unlike her recent tears, these had happiness to them, for Kaylee had never had anyone say something so nice about her. Sure, Simon had occasionally said nice things about her smile or how nice she was but she could tell that River genuinely felt and meant what she said. Kaylee hugged River's head and once more kissed the top of her head. It was then that Kaylee noticed the box that River had dropped.

"Whatcha got there, kiddo?"

"Oh! I forgot about those. I did a little shopping today and got you something to try and cheer you up."

River jumped off the bed and picked her box up. Slowly, River handed it to Kaylee, who smiled at River, flattered that River would get her something. Kaylee lifted the top off to find it full of fresh, ripe strawberries. Her eyes grew wide and she suddenly found it difficult to breathe as she picked up the one sitting on top. She stared at the strawberry for a moment and looked at River, who was smiling eagerly at her. Kaylee took a bite and sighed happily as the familiar taste overpowered her taste buds.

Just then, River walked over to Kaylee, placed her hand on her cheek and kissed her again. Kaylee welcomed the kiss this time, wrapping her arms around River and pulling her closer. Growing bolder at the lack of resistance, River parted her lips and poked her tongue out, which Kaylee gladly allowed access to. She explored the insides of Kaylee's mouth before finding Kaylee's tongue and the two tongues shared a loving embrace. River could taste the remnants of the strawberry in Kaylee's mouth and decided there was not greater taste in the 'verse. Slowly, River's hand creped down Kaylee's cheek, down to her neck and collarbone before trailing all the way down to Kaylee's breast, which was covered only by a pink shirt.

But just as River was about to press further, Kaylee suddenly pulled away with fear in her eyes.

"Kaylee? What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry sweetie, I mean what you're doing feels really nice but something about it just don't feel right."

"I understand. I'm a broken doll. You don't want to possibly break me further."

"No, honey, I ain't scared of that. You're the strongest person I know. You went through unspeakable torture for many years and you didn't break. I doubt anything I could do or not do could break you. I'm just kinda nervous cause I ain't never been with a girl before."

"I haven't either. But please, Kaylee, I need this. I've never felt like this before. I've never felt true longing for someone. Every time I see you, I want to feel you against me. I just want to feel your hand on my cheek and brush through my hair while you smile at me. I wanna feel like Serenity; feel all the love and care you put into it. I'm damaged Kaylee, badly damaged and need to be fixed. Would you fix me?"

Kaylee nervously bit her lip as she looked into River's eyes. The poor girl looked on the verge of breaking down again. Kaylee didn't want to hurt this girl anymore than she had already been hurt. She knew deep down that she wanted this too. Kaylee wanted exactly what River did, like to be held and loved. River bowed her head and sniffled and Kaylee saw a few tears trail out of her large eyes. That was all Kaylee needed to see and Kaylee gently placed her hand underneath River's chin, lifting it so Kaylee could look her in the eyes. She looked at River for a brief moment before moving in for another kiss. River threw her arms around Kaylee and hugged her tightly, whimpering slightly but kissing Kaylee with as much passion as she could. They stopped briefly for a moment to regain their breath and rested their foreheads against each other.

"Thank you, Kaylee. Thank you," River whispered.

"Don't be thanking me just yet, bao bei. I've only kissed ya," Kaylee said playfully a sly glint in her eye.

River shivered a bit as Kaylee placed her hand behind River's neck and entwined her hand in River's long, flowing hair. She then leaned forward and pressed her lips to River's neck. River gasped and felt her body tense up as it felt like electricity was shooting through her body from where Kaylee's lips touched her neck. She could feel all her nerves stand on end throughout her body as Kaylee continued to work over River's neck, gently licking it and sucking on it. River's hands found her way to Kaylee's back and gently ran her fingers down the length of it. Kaylee shivered a bit from River's touch and sighed against River's neck.

River reached the hem of Kaylee's shirt and bunched it up in both of her hands, her knuckles brushing across the smooth skin of the bottom of Kaylee's back. Kaylee could tell what River wanted and detached herself from the girl's neck, lifting her arms over her head. River quickly lifted the shirt over her head, freeing Kaylee's perky breasts. The air hit Kaylee's skin and it caused her to shiver a bit as goosebumps erupted on her skin and made her small, pink nipples stand taut, both not entirely caused by the cold air. River slowly reached her hand out towards Kaylee's breast, looking unsure of herself. She looked up questioningly at Kaylee, looking for assurance and Kaylee nodded in approval. River gently placed her hand on Kaylee's breast and slowly closed her fingers around it. Kaylee closed her eyes and drew a deep breath as she felt her nipple get harder against River's palm.

River slid her hand down Kaylee's breast, dragging her fingers down Kaylee's nipple until her fingertips reached the tip and she pinched the nipple between her middle and forefingers. Kaylee gasped and whimpered a bit from River's touch. Letting her instincts take over, River suddenly lurched out and replaced her fingers with her mouth, drawing her tongue across Kaylee's nipple. Kaylee moaned at this and arched into River, forcing more of her breast into the young woman's mouth. Slowly, River crept her hand up the side of Kaylee's torso before coming to rest on her free breast, mimicking her actions of earlier with Kaylee's other nipple. Under her hand, River could feel Kaylee's heartbeat increasing in tempo and could also hear Kaylee start to breathe harder and harder.

"Am I doing okay, Kaylee?"

"Oh River, you're doing amazing. You're driving me nuts here."

River smiled a bit at this and glanced up at Kaylee, who was beaming at her through ragged breaths. Suddenly River detached herself from Kaylee's breast, which elicited a small whimper of protest from Kaylee but River didn't allow that to last long as she pulled herself up to Kaylee's mouth for another passionate kiss. Their tongues entwined in a furious grappling match while their hands roamed freely across each other's bodies. Kaylee's hands found the back zipper of River's dress and slowly unzipped it, her free hand sliding down the bare skin of River's back as more of it became uncovered. When Kaylee had finished, she stood River up and slid the dress off of her completely, leaving River standing before Kaylee dressed only in a pair of spandex bike shorts.

River nervously gripped her arm, feeling quite exposed and vulnerable as the beautiful engineer looked her up and down. Kaylee had never seen River in this state of undress before and what she saw was truly breathtaking. Kaylee studied every gentle curve, marveling at how beautiful this young woman really was. River had a truly athletic body, covered in lean, taut muscle, especially in her legs. Simon had said how River had loved to dance and with how well defined her legs and torso was, it was plain to see how much time River had put into her craft. Kaylee then focused her attention on River's small, pert breasts with dusky, pebbly nipples. Kaylee wanted to feel them against her own and she drew River into a tight embrace, falling back onto her bed causing River to come down on top of her. She gently traced her hands down the girl's back, over the top of her bike shorts and grabbed onto River's firm buttocks with both hands, pulling her in closer.

River craned her head around and gently nibbled on Kaylee's earlobe, making Kaylee giggle and squirm. River's darted her tongue across the surface of Kaylee's ear and ran it down around the back where it connected to her skull. Kaylee gasped loudly and whimpered from the sensation while hugging River tighter to her. Kaylee then scooted her way down River's body until her petite breasts were right in her face. Kaylee clamped her mouth around one of River's breasts and greedily sucked hard on her areola. River squeaked a bit before letting out a low moan, entangling her hands in Kaylee's thick, slightly greasy hair. As she sucked on her friend's nipple, Kaylee's hands were busy toying with River's shorts. She'd run her hands up and down them, across River's back and down the back of her legs, occasionally dipping a finger beneath the material to stroke River's naked ass.

With one quick movement, Kaylee grabbed onto the top of River's shorts and slid them down and off her body. Kaylee explored the newly uncovered areas of River, cupping one buttock in one hand while brushing her fingers through River's soft, bristly pubic hair with her other, keeping her mouth locked around River's breast the entire time. Kaylee could already feel how moist River was and didn't want to keep the young beauty in waiting too much longer. River pulled her chest off of Kaylee's powerful mouth but didn't allow Kaylee to wonder why she did for very long as River slid down towards Kaylee's lower body and started fumbling with the clasp on Kaylee's cargo pants. Kaylee arched up to the young psychic's touch, trying to make it easier to get her pants undone. Suddenly Kaylee recoiled and gasped in pain a bit. River looked worried and stopped what she was doing. Kaylee looked down and River followed her gaze to a scar on the bottom of Kaylee's belly.

"Is that what I think it is?" River whispered.

Kaylee grimaced and nodded her affirmation and River ran her finger as gently as she could across Kaylee's gunshot wound. The only evidence that remained on the surface was a few faint scars from where Simon had to cut into her to remove the bullet fragments. River finally succeeded in undoing the buttons and slid Kaylee's pants off and tossed them to the floor, leaving Kaylee in only a lacy, green thong. River gently ran her hand across the material, pressing down slightly to the treasures waiting below and causing Kaylee to let out a faint sigh. River then slipped her fingers underneath the straps of the thong and slid it off of Kaylee, leaving both women completely nude on Kaylee's bed.

For a few moments, the two women just stared at each other's bodies, breathing heavily and letting their lust build. Kaylee pulled River in for another deep kiss. River didn't waste any time in heading for her intended goal and ran her hand down Kaylee's body, between her breasts, down her tummy and to the top of her groin, where Kaylee was covered in soft, curly brown hairs. River dipped her fingers a little lower and her forefinger ran across the tip of Kaylee's clit, causing Kaylee to sharply draw breath and seize up as if she'd been electrocuted. River kept her finger there, slowly rubbing it around in small circles over Kaylee's clit while searching Kaylee's mind for ideas for what River should do to her.

Almost on cue, Kaylee's mind jumped to a memory of being in the infirmary with Simon, where he had passionately licked and sucked on her clit until she had a mind-melting orgasm right on his operating table. But now, Kaylee had replaced Simon in her head with River so that it was River who was bringing her to such ecstasy and not Simon. River pondered the memory for a bit before sliding down to the edge of Kaylee's bed, near her feet. Kaylee could tell what River was thinking and allowed herself to relax and to let River take full control of the situation.

River started by gently rubbing Kaylee's foot and placing soft kisses on the top of it. Slowly she crept her way back up Kaylee's body, kissing and stroking Kaylee's creamy legs. Kaylee laid back against her pillow with her eyes closed and sighed, feeling completely at peace and blissful under River's gentle touch. River ran her tongue up the entire length of Kaylee's inner thigh, stopping just short of Kaylee's outer folds.

River brushed her nose across Kaylee's slit, inhaling deeply and filling her nose with Kaylee's scent. Becoming intoxicated from it, River decided she needed to taste it for herself and she slowly slid her tongue between Kaylee's folds and licked the entire length of her snatch, causing Kaylee to dig her nails deep into River's shoulders. River sighed contently, deciding that if Kaylee's mouth after eating strawberries was the best taste in the world then this surely was second.

"How about you knock off all that teasing? I'm losing my mind here," Kaylee gasped.

River nodded obediently and once more, ran her tongue up the entire length of Kaylee's cunt. Kaylee bit down on her lip and could feel her vision start to could over. Slowly, River parted Kaylee's outer folds to allow easier access to her engorged clitoris. River then closed her mouth down around the bundle of nerves and pressed her tongue against Kaylee's clit, causing Kaylee to cry out loudly.

"Wuh de tyen ah, that's wonderful bao bei. Don't stop."

River replicated the motions of her fingers earlier and started tracing small circles across Kaylee's clit with her tongue. Kaylee gasped out more, trying to force herself to breathe because with how much pleasure she was in, she'd surely forget. River only added to the intense sensations by taking her forefinger and smoothly slid it deep inside of Kaylee, making Kaylee buck and cry out even louder. River smiled a bit to herself, feeling good that she could give her crush these kinds of feelings.

Kaylee grabbed hard onto her breast and forcefully tweaked her nipple to add to the intense ecstasy she was feeling. River completely let herself go and just let herself do anything she thought would make Kaylee moan. She started by adding another finger deep inside of Kaylee's twat and starting to thrust the two fingers in and out to a slow, steady beat. She also clamped her mouth around Kaylee's clit and sucked on it as hard as she could, all while keeping it pinned down with her tongue.

Kaylee thrashed around violently on the bed, almost causing River to lose her grip on the mechanic. But River held on, never once breaking contact on Kaylee's clit or disturbing the steady cadence she was fingering Kaylee with. Kaylee moaned out River's name repeatedly before suddenly going rigid as her climax slammed into her. River didn't relent one bit, even as Kaylee's orgasm raged around her, determined to give Kaylee as much pleasure as she could. Kaylee could only emit tiny squeaks as River kept up her assault, causing a second massive orgasm not long after her first had ended.

"Okay! Okay! I can't take anymore! Please stop," Kaylee cried.

River detached herself from Kaylee's spasming pussy and looked down at Kaylee lying before her, sweating and gasping hard for breath as if she'd just run five miles. River noticed her fingers shimmering with Kaylee's juices and slid her fingers in her mouth, licking Kaylee's sweet taste off of them. Kaylee tilted her head down to look at River and with what little brainpower she could muster, beckoned River to her. River obliged and Kaylee met her with a passionate kiss, tasting her own juices on River's tongue as she kissed the young psychic as lustfully as she could.

River lied down next to Kaylee and placed her hand over Kaylee's heart, feeling it beat wildly under her hand. The two young women lay there for a few moments, entangled together in a naked mass as Kaylee tried to regain her bearings from the overpowering orgasms. River held Kaylee close as she recovered, feeling completely content with life and not wanting this moment to end.

"Kao River. That was incredible. Where'd you learn to do that?" Kaylee asked.

"I was just doing what I figured you'd like. And also what I'd like done to me," River replied with a glint in her eye.

"Well don't you fret none, I got something extra special planned for you."

Kaylee clambered over River and started digging around under her bed for something. River didn't make things any easier for her as she kneaded and massaged Kaylee's round buttocks with her powerful hands, making Kaylee sigh once more. After a few moments, Kaylee reemerged and held something long and thin in her hands, wrapped in a large hand towel. Kaylee slowly unwrapped the towel and River's eyes widened as a large pink vibrator rolled onto the bed. River ran a finger across the soft, smooth surface of Kaylee's toy, biting her lip a bit in apprehension.

"You okay sweetie?" Kaylee questioned, reading River's gaze.

"I'm just a little scared, that's all. I've never seen one of these before, let alone had one inside of me."

"Well if you don't like it, we can try something else, okay? But trust me honey, I'm real sure that you'll love this. I custom built this beauty myself. It always manages to get the job done for me."

"Okay Kaylee, I trust you," River said after taking a deep breath.

Kaylee laid River back on the bed, cradling her head with one arm while propping herself up on her elbow so she was slightly above River. With her free hand, Kaylee picked up the vibrator and switched it on with the lowest setting. She then placed the vibrator on River's neck and slowly started dragging it down River's body. She paused briefly on River's nipple, making River sigh in pleasure and close her eyes. Kaylee traced her way over to River's other nipple and left the vibrator on it for a few seconds, causing River to softly moan.

Kaylee then jumped down on River's body to the inside of her leg and slowly started running it up towards her virgin hole. River steadily started breathing harder as Kaylee teased her, keeping her eyes closed and enjoying all the sensations. Kaylee reached River's twat and ran the very tip of the vibrator over River's clit. River felt an intense jolt and her body tensed up from the quick shock. Kaylee kept the vibrator on River's clit, running it in small circles over it, switching her gaze back and forth from her work to River's face.

River squirmed a bit and bit her lip as pleasure slowly washed throughout her entire body. Kaylee smiled down at River, gently running her free hand through her hair as she continued stroking River's clit with her vibrator. She then switched the intensity up a level and River groaned and grabbed hard onto the sheets of Kaylee's bed. Kaylee kept her eyes locked on River's face, marveling at how beautiful she looked right now. Kaylee then took the vibrator off of River's clit and River whined in protest but Kaylee quickly gave her a soft kiss, which cheered River up.

"How does it feel so far, River?"

"It feels wonderful. Please keep going."

"No problem, dear. But I'm gonna try it inside of you now. If anything doesn't feel right, give a holler."

River merely nodded as Kaylee repositioned herself until she was lying between River's firm legs. Kaylee stuck the end of the vibrator in her mouth and ran her tongue across the end of it, lubricating it with her saliva. She then positioned the vibrator right at the entrance of River's vagina and slowly started probing it inside of her. River reached out and grabbed Kaylee's free hand and gripped it as Kaylee slowly inserted the tip into River's cavity. River let out a low moan as Kaylee gets more inside of her and the vibrator sent a wonderful tingling all throughout her body.

Suddenly Kaylee's progress was halted as she reached River's hymen. Kaylee bit her lip nervously, wondering if she should halt her progress or if she should break through the membrane. While Kaylee thought, River noticed that Kaylee had halted her progress but was too lost in her own little world to read Kaylee's thoughts. Instead, River merely reached out and petted Kaylee's hair, causing Kaylee to look up at River with indecision in her eyes.

"Is something wrong Kaylee?"

"Well, I've gotten far enough inside of you to reach your hymen. But in order to get deeper inside of you, I'd need to break through it, which will hurt quite a bit. So would you like me to leave it alone or do you want me to go deeper?"

River took some time to think, her thoughts not coming completely clearly due to the vibrator still humming inside of her. After a few moments, River grit her teeth and squeezed Kaylee's hand hard, whispering, "Do it," to Kaylee. Kaylee closed her eyes and pushed hard against the vibrator, which smashed through the thin membrane after a brief resistance. River cried out in pain as she squeezed Kaylee's hand so hard, Kaylee feared she might break something. Kaylee let the vibrator sit in place from where it had broken through until the pain had eased from inside of River, who continued whimpering.

"Are you okay? Do you want me to stop? Kaylee asked with a concerned tone.

"I think I'll be okay. Keep going." River gasped out.

Kaylee obliged and started sliding the toy deeper and deeper inside River, making River moan louder and louder as the centimeters disappeared into her cavity. Finally, Kaylee got as far in as she could go and slowly started sliding it back out of River. River's mind was completely gone and all she could focus on was the steady burn coming from her abdomen thanks to Kaylee's special engineering. Kaylee removed her instrument from River's snatch and looked mischievously into River's eyes, which were completely clouded over.

"Time to give you some real fun." Kaylee purred.

She then turned up the intensity on the vibrator, causing it to emit an audible hum before sliding it back inside of River. Kaylee proceeded a bit faster this time, getting all the way inside of River's vagina after only a few seconds. Once more, Kaylee withdrew the toy before thrusting it back in, slowly building a steady cadence. River's hips started moving along with the thrusting while River continued to emit small little moans.

Without breaking her tempo, Kaylee moved up River's body and flicked her tongue out across River's clit, causing River to cry out and entangle her spare hand into Kaylee's hair. Kaylee pressed her tongue down on the bundle of nerves before sucking it up into her mouth, never once slowing down the vibrator that was steadily fucking River at this point. River started crying out louder and louder, bucking her hips against Kaylee's toy, and trying to get as much pleasure from it as she could. Kaylee released River's hand and started groping her small breast, making River moan even louder as her entire body now felt the burning inside. Kaylee pinched River's nipple as she bit down on River's clit as gently as she could, thoroughly enjoying herself and enjoying giving River all this happiness.

River squirmed feverishly, feeling her orgasm start to build within her. Then it exploded and River screamed out, her body going completely rigid as pleasure surged through every inch of her body. Kaylee didn't let up though, even with River's orgasm tearing through her and River helplessly twitching due to it. River cried out repeatedly in sharp staccato as she came once more, finally pushing Kaylee's head away from her sex center. Kaylee granted her lover's wishes and backed away, removing the vibrator from River's quivering snatch and licking River's fragrant juices off of the surface. While River basked in the afterglow of her stunning orgasms, Kaylee cleaned her toy off with the towel it was wrapped in before wrapping it back up and replacing it under her bed.

Kaylee then laid down next to River, who was still trying to catch her breath, and wrapped her arms around her. River moved up against Kaylee, feeling the warmth of her body and nestled her head against Kaylee's chest. Kaylee smiled to herself and kissed River's head, feeling herself starting to doze off. The two young women lay naked next to each other, wrapped in a loving embrace. Meanwhile, in the hallway above them, Simon stood outside Kaylee's still-open door, a bunch of flowers in his hand, horror plastered all over his face due to what he had just heard taking place below.

***********

Translations:

bao bei - sweetheart

Wuh de tyen ah - Dear God in heaven

Kao - Goddamn


	4. Chapter 4

Simon stumbled throughout the corridors of Serenity, feeling dizzy and light-headed. He kept questioning himself in his mind, wondering if he had really heard what he thought he did. But every time he questioned it, he thought about what he had heard and decided there was no other explanation. Simon had heard his sister being brought to orgasm by his ex-girlfriend. The thought nearly made him faint but he managed to stay on his feet, desperate to get to the mess hall where he could get a drink of water.

Simon staggered into the mess hall where Mal, Zoë and Jayne were gathered. They all turned their heads to him when he entered and could tell that something was up. Simon had turned as white as a sheet and looked like he was about to be sick as he gasped for air. They all exchanged confused glances among themselves, wondering what had caused Simon to take a turn like this.

"You okay there, doc?" Mal questioned.

Simon didn't respond as he stumbled over to the table and leaned against it, trying to keep his balance. Suddenly, Simon turned and heaved, vomiting all over Jayne's boots, much to the disgust of Jayne.

"Gorram it doc!" Jayne yelled, scooting out of the line of fire. "These were my best boots! My mama got em for me and you had to go and puke on them!"

Simon once again failed to respond to the crew questioning him and merely collapsed into a chair. Zoë quickly grabbed a clean glass and rushed to the sink, filling it with water. She brought the glass over to Simon who took it and deeply drank from it, draining the glass in one gulp. Simon took several deep breaths as he wiped off his mouth and chin with the back of his sleeve, clearing away the remaining traces of vomit on them.

"What's gotten into you Simon? What happened?" Mal asked, sitting down in the chair in front of Simon and staring intently at the doctor. Simon took a few more deep breaths before uttering one simple word.

"River."

"River? What's wrong with River?"

"Aw, damnit doc, did your wacky sis go and get herself in trouble again?" Jayne grumbled, cleaning off his boots with a dishtowel.

"River. And Kaylee," Simon said in a daze.

"River and Kaylee? What happened with them? Damnit Simon, tell me what's going on," Mal said, a hint of urgency in his voice now.

"In Kaylee's bunk. I heard them. They were…they were…"

"What, Simon? What were they doing?"

"They were having sex."

The room instantly went silent at what Simon said. Mal's face took on an expression not entirely unlike Simon's just before he vomited while Zoë merely looked confused, unsure of what she had just heard. Jayne, on the other hand, raised his eyebrows in curiosity and leaned closer to Simon.

"Having sex? Like together? Didja actually get to see em doc? What were they doin exactly?" Jayne asked with poorly concealed excitement in his tone. After all, it's not every day that you find out you're flying with two bonafide lesbians.

"That will be quite enough of that, Jayne." Mal said sternly, his face losing its expression of disgust and taking on one of anger.

"Suit yourself Mal. I'm going to my bunk."

All three faces looked at Jayne contemptibly, wondering if he really could be that much of a pig. As Jayne rose from his chair, he noticed the expressions of the people looking at them and shrugged innocently.

"What? The doc threw up on my boots. I gotta go clean them up to get this smell outta them."

This explanation seemed to pacify the others and Jayne walked out of the mess hall, shaking his head as he went. Once Jayne left, the focus shifted once more to Simon, who was starting to regain the color in his face and wasn't breathing quite so hard anymore.

"Are you sure they were having sex Simon? How'd you find out about this?" Mal asked.

"Yes, I am sure that's what they were doing. I was bringing Kaylee some flowers to apologize for what happened yesterday. But when I got to her bunk, the door was open and I could clearly hear the two of them below."

Mal's face hardened even further while Zoë merely shook her head, unable to believe that River and Kaylee would do such a thing. Without speaking, Mal stood up and strode powerfully to the door.

"Sir," Zoë began, causing Mal to halt and face his second-in-command, impatiently waiting for her to finish what she had to say. "Don't be too hard on them," was all Zoë could think to say. Mal gave the smallest trace of a nod before setting back off, leaving Zoë and Simon alone. Simon stood up a bit shakily but found his balance and went to refill his glass of water.

**********

River stared up at the ceiling of Kaylee's room, beaming happily and feeling happier than she had since before she went to the Academy. She turned her head to look at Kaylee, lying next to her and sleeping peacefully while lightly snoring. Kaylee's arm was draped across River's chest, holding River's body against her own. The two hadn't bothered to pull any sheets over them, for the warmth of their bodies against each other was keeping away the cold. River then perked her ears up as faintly she could hear heavy footsteps stomping in their direction. She then realized it was the captain walking towards them and River could feel that his mood was not a friendly one in the least.

"Kaylee! Kaylee wake up!" River whispered in a panic.

"Hmm, what? What is it sweetie?" Kaylee replied, still in a sleep-induced haze.

"It's the captain, he's on his way here."

Kaylee's brain switched on and she sat bolt upright in bed, fearfully looking at River. Mere seconds after Kaylee awoke, there was a loud banging at the door, followed by Mal's booming voice yelling, "Kaylee!" down to her.

"Uh, yes, captain? What is it?"

"Could you come up here please?"

Kaylee silently grimaced at these words and jumped out of bed, trying to get herself dressed as quickly and as silently as possible. Once she had gotten her clothes back on, Kaylee climbed up the ladder and into the hallway where Mal was waiting with his arms crossed over his chest, looking thoroughly displeased.

"So, what brings you by Cap'n?" Kaylee asked cheerfully, trying to appear as innocent as possible.

"I've been back near an hour now with the parts you needed and yet you're still here in your bunk, lying about. Your job on this ship is to keep my boat running and running as smooth as possible; I can't have you slacking off, especially when we've got important jobs to get to."

"Oh, right. Yeah, sorry bout that Cap'n, I promise it won't never happen again." Kaylee replied, putting on an ashamed face but secretly jumping for joy inside as apparently she and River had managed to successfully evade being caught.

"That's what I like to hear. Now go on, get to working. I'd like to lift off sometime before night falls." Mal said, taking on a lighter, more gentle tone in order to put Kaylee at ease before pulling the rug out from under her.

Kaylee nodded and started off towards the engine room.

"Oh, wait, just one second Kaylee. Forgot to mention something to you," Mal said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice as he walked over to the hatch of Kaylee's bunk. "Oh, River?"

Kaylee froze in her tracks as the color immediately drained from her face. Meanwhile, down below, River had also been getting herself dressed and had a similar reaction to Mal's words. Apprehensively, River shuffled over to the ladder and peaked up the hatch where she found Mal looking angrily down at her.

"Y-yes, sir?" River asked with her voice quaking in fear.

"While Kaylee works, you are to report to your quarters and remain there until we take off. I don't want you two even near each other for the remainder of the day. Dong luh ma?"

"Yes sir, as you wish." River whispered quietly, looking down at the floor guiltily. Mal rounded on Kaylee who was still standing frozen at the end of the corridor, shaking just a bit in fear.

"Well Kaylee, what are you waiting for? Go fix my engine." Mal said waspishly as he walked past her towards the bridge. But Kaylee remained frozen for a few moments after he left, her lip quivering in fear and shame while down in Kaylee's room, River sunk to the floor and leaned up against the ladder, once more getting the distinct impression she had brought great trouble onto Kaylee.

**********

Simon knew that he needed advice from someone. In the past if he'd had a situation, he'd have gone to Shepherd Book for guidance but now that the wise preacher was dead, Simon would have to look elsewhere for assistance. The captain was against relationships in general so he'd likely be little to no help. Zoë didn't like having to open up about her relationship with Wash to anyone and since Simon had already gotten a bit out of her recently, he didn't want to go back to Zoë so soon for fear of upsetting her. And the thought of Jayne being able to talk about feelings and relationships made Simon chuckle a bit to himself so he didn't even bother with considering him.

So with no one left to turn to, Simon found himself outside of Inara's shuttle, hoping that the beautiful Companion could give him some advice on how to deal with what he heard taking place between River and Kaylee. Simon knocked on the door and waited for Inara to answer, anxiously rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet as he waited. Finally Inara threw open the door and looked to be quite annoyed.

"Damnit Mal, I've already paid rent this month so—"

It was at this point that Inara noticed it wasn't Mal outside but instead Simon, looking quite troubled.

"Oh, pardon me doctor, I thought it was the captain." Inara said sheepishly, blushing a bit in embarrassment.

"Oh, yes, well that's fine. Are you busy right now?" Simon asked, absent-mindedly running his hand through his hair.

"No, not at all. What do you need?"

"Well, I could use a little bit of relationship advice."

'Well sure Simon, come on in."

Inara gave Simon a comforting smile and stepped aside to let Simon come in. Simon stepped past her and entered the shuttle, which Inara had once again adorned with her personal decorations now that she was part of the crew again. Simon sat down in one of the luxurious couches while Inara closed the door behind her.

"Would you like some tea or anything?"

"No, thank you."

"Very well. So Simon, what's on your mind?" Inara asked, settling herself down next to Simon.

"Well, something happened earlier regarding Kaylee and I'm not quite sure how to deal with it."

"I take it you're referring to the spat between the two of you in the engine room?"

"Oh no, not that. I've already come to terms with that and realized my mistake. No, this is something else that happened with Kaylee and I'm not quite sure what to do."

"Well what was it? What happened?

"Um, well, I heard the two of them having sex in Kaylee's bunk when I got back to the ship today."

Like the reaction in the mess hall, a stunned silence followed this bit of news. Inara raised her eyes in surprise while Simon merely looked down at the carpet with his hands tangled in his hair, still a bit disbelieving of what he heard himself.

"Oh. Well, that certainly is surprising and I can't say I blame you for being uncomfortable with it."

"I'm just not sure what to do about it. I mean, I really like Kaylee and really care about her. I've never felt like this about anyone else. I remember when that bounty hunter Early was here, he blackmailed me into helping him by threatening Kaylee. I was ready to die to protect my sister but once he said he'd hurt Kaylee, I had no choice but to go along because I couldn't let him harm her. I know I messed up and lost my head last night but the last thing I want to do is to lose her."

"That's completely understandable Simon. And it's clear to see how much Kaylee means to you. What about River though?"

"Well she and I got into a bit of a spat earlier today about what happened last night and something she said has really stuck with me. I mean, she's gone through so much in her life that she really deserves to be happy for once. And I want her to be happy and regain a sense of normalcy in her life. But I just don't know if I can give up Kaylee for that. What do you think I should do Inara?"

"Well Simon," Inara said, putting a comforting hand on Simon's knee, "you certainly do have a big decision to make here. I mean it's no secret how much River likes Kaylee. Anyone can see that Kaylee's the one that River has bonded with the most since she got onto the ship. She smiles more with Kaylee than she does when she's with anybody else here. So it's really no surprise to me that River would harbor some more romantic feelings for Kaylee because of that.

I'm sure that River doesn't mean any harm to you by it; nobody can control who they fall for in this world. River knows that you love her and knows that you can and have done everything you can for her. And I'm sure she also knows how important Kaylee is to you as well. The fact is, you both have been through a lot and you both deserve to be happy. However, I think you must remember that this is all very new for River. She's never really had the opportunity to feel genuine desire for somebody. I know it'll hurt to let Kaylee go but I think she is something you should let River have."

Simon pondered Inara's words for a few moments, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he weighed his options. Finally, Simon closed his eyes, took a deep breath and nodded a bit.

"I suppose you're right. That's probably what's best for everyone. Yes, losing Kaylee will and does hurt but if she's what will truly make my sister happy, then I should let her be happy. And I suppose I should thank my lucky stars that it's someone who's so sweet and wonderful like Kaylee who's she's interested in and not someone like Jayne."

Inara burst out in laughter and Simon smiled a bit, feeling good about his decision.

"Thank you for listening, Inara. I really do appreciate it." Simon said, getting to his feet.

"It was my pleasure Simon. Feel free to stop by anytime you need help with anything." Inara replied, giving Simon a friendly hug. Simon then took a steadying breath and strode out of the shuttle.

**********

Alone in her bunk, River stared up at the ceiling, thinking about all that had happened today. Her emotions had been taken on a wild roller-coaster ride, experiencing joyous ecstasy and crushing sadness and wasn't sure if she could take much more. As she lay in bed, all River could think about was Kaylee and the magical meeting between the two. River knew that she was going to make the captain see reason and that someday soon, she'd be back with Kaylee once more.

But then River's thoughts turned to her brother and she cringed a bit. Getting the captain to at least tolerate River and Kaylee seeing each other would be a daunting effort but one she knew would succeed. However, telling Simon about the two of them and expecting him to understand and allow it to happen would be damn near impossible to do, especially after the fight they had in town today.

River was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she didn't even realize that Mal was on his way to her bunk until he sharply knocked on the door to her bunk. River was immediately jolted back into the present and she sat bolt upright, startled by the knock.

"Who's there?"

"You actually don't know? Well, color me shocked." Mal said from behind the door.

River rolled her eyes and got off her bed to open the door. River threw open the door harshly and walked back over to her bed without even greeting Mal. Mal raised his eyebrows in surprise to River's demeanor and took his time walking into her room, sitting down on Simon's bed while River sat across the room on her bed, glaring at Mal.

"Well, I can obviously tell that you're not very excited to see me, but we really need to talk." Mal said seriously.

"Really? I wasn't aware that my personal life was any of your business." River shot back harshly.

"When your personal life becomes a disturbance to my boat and my crew, then yeah, it does become my business."

"How are we causing a disturbance? What problems could possibly arise out of me and Kaylee sleeping together?"

"What about your brother?"

River's face fell a bit and her standoffish attitude withered away, replaced by one of fear. She started nervously twirling at her blanket with her finger as her eyes wandered away from Mal's face.

"You're not gonna tell him, are you?" River asked quietly.

"I don't have to, he already knows. He was the one who told me after he heard you two going at it outside Kaylee's door."

River felt her body go numb as she hung her head and clapped her hands to her face in shame. The blow of Mal's words knocked River for a loop and after a few moments of silence, Mal realized she wasn't going to talk willingly about this so he pressed ahead.

"Now, I'm curious to know what exactly it was you were thinking about when you decided to do this with Kaylee. Because I'm pretty sure that the whole thing of her being your brother's girlfriend wasn't quite at the top of your head."

"I was just thinking about what you told me last night on the bridge. About that I deserved to have good feelings in my life. You sounded like you wanted me to go after Kaylee and so I did." River said timidly.

"I told you it was fine to have feelings for her! I didn't expect that you would do more than just have feelings and actually go get all naked and sweaty with her. Had I known that you actually planned on acting on your crush, I wouldn't have told you it was fine to have it." Mal said loudly.

"Why not Mal?" River asked, trying to hold back tears. "Why can't I have a little fun in my life? Why can't I have a little love in my life? Don't I deserve it? For once in my life, don't I deserve to feel like a normal human girl? Is that so much to ask for? It isn't for Kaylee."

"No, but for myself it is and I'm willing to bet a lot that it will be for Simon too, especially considering that it is his love interest that you have taken a liking to."

Before River could respond, there was another knock at the door and Mal and River turned to see Simon standing in the doorway. River groaned softly when she saw him because the only person in the 'verse she wanted to talk to right now less than Mal was Simon. Simon stepped inside, trying to force a smile but seeing his sister in this much distress wouldn't allow it to fully appear.

"I hope I'm not interrupting but I really need to talk to you River."

Mal put his hands behind his head and relaxed back against the wall. Simon turned his gaze to him and tried to indicate that he wished for Mal to leave so he could speak to his sister in private.

"Oh hey, don't mind me one bit. I'll sit here real quiet-like and not bother you none." Mal said cheerfully. Simon closed his eyes and shook his head at Mal, knowing that the captain had no intentions of leaving but decided it was something not worth fighting for so he instead turned his focus back to his sister who was trying very hard to avoid his gaze."

"Listen River," Simon said, placing a hand on River's shoulder, "I've been giving a lot of thought about what you said earlier about you deserving to be happy. And I've decided that you're right, you do deserve to be happy and I want to see my sister happy again. And if giving up the girl I like so my sister can have her will make her happy, well then I guess I'm just going to have to accept it. River, you have my permission and my blessing to see Kaylee."

River's eyes flew open in disbelieved shock, unable to process what her brother had just said. Mal couldn't believe it either and his amazement was so great that he slipped and went toppling off of Simon's bed to the floor below. River slowly looked up at Simon who was smiling warmly down at her.

"Really? You'd really do that for me?" River asked, breathless from surprise.

"Yes, mei-mei, really. No matter what, if it'll make you happy then it'll make me happy too." Simon replied.

River threw her arms around her brother's neck and hugged him tightly, sobbing ecstatically into his shoulder. As the two siblings embraced, Mal got back to his feet and dusted himself off.

"Well, it seems that once again it's been proven that I don't know a gorram thing about people. So River, I guess since it's okay with your brother that I'm okay with it too. Just be careful and don't go off breaking either of your hearts now. There's been enough relationship drama around here recently and I've about had it up to here with it. So I sure hope you know what you're doing."

"Thank you. Both of you," cried River through a flood of tears, the happiest ones she'd ever cried in her life.

**********

Kaylee sighed as she stepped under the hot spray of the showerhead. She had been at work on the engine for the past several hours and she was coated in grease and various fluids and her body ached from exertion. But the hot water soothed her aches as it cascaded down all over her naked body. It had been a long, exhausting day for Kaylee and she was ready for her bed so that it could finally be over with.

Normally when making repairs to Serenity, Kaylee would spend a great deal of time on it, making double and triple sure that everything was in tiptop working order before finishing. But today, Kaylee wasn't quite as meticulous with her inspections as normal because she had something weighing heavier on her mind. The entire time she worked, all Kaylee could think about was River and getting to see her again once she had finished her jobs. But Kaylee had overworked herself and now her body desperately cried out for rest so it looked like she'd have to wait tomorrow to see River again.

As Kaylee began soaping up her body to rid it of all the grime, Kaylee's mind once more came to River and the experience the two had together. She closed her eyes and smiled, thinking of getting to see River the next day and getting to hold her and kiss her once more. But as Kaylee was fantasizing about River, the soap bar squirted out of her hand and tumbled away behind her. Cursing to herself, Kaylee turned to retrieve her soap but when she turned around, she found River standing there, holding the soap and completely nude.

The two women silently stared at each other for a few moments, the only sound coming from the water pounding down around Kaylee. River then strode over to Kaylee and wrapped her in a hug, which Kaylee gladly returned. They then stayed locked in an embrace for several more moments, simply enjoying the warmth and love in the embrace. River tried to pull Kaylee in for a kiss but Kaylee resisted against it.

"No, River, we shouldn't do that and you shouldn't be here. We already been caught once today and I'm not fixing to get caught again," Kaylee said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Let them catch us; I don't care." River purred seductively, trying once more to kiss Kaylee.

"But it might not be the captain this time; it might be Simon and seeing how he snapped about us kissing the first time, I can't imagine he'd be too pleased about us kissing naked in the shower."

"It doesn't matter anymore. Simon says go."

Confused, Kaylee asked, "What do you mean, 'Simon says go?'"

"Simon says we can see each other. He knows what we did earlier and he's the one who told the captain about it. But he told me that he wants me to be happy and said that if being with you would make me happy, he would allow it. And the captain is okay with it too."

Kaylee felt her heart swell at this news as she laughed joyously while hugging River even tighter than before, picking her up and swinging her around. She then set River down and finally kissed her deeply, cupping River's face in her calloused hands. River let her hands roam all over Kaylee's slick body while they kissed exuberantly. Once they finally broke their kiss, the two stared deeply into each other's eyes as sparks flew from them and they shone brightly.

"I love you, Kaylee," River whispered softly.

"I love you too," Kaylee replied, grinning from ear to ear.

The two then shared another tender kiss before Kaylee broke away and walked over to the door for the showers, making sure no one was around and then locking the door, making sure nobody would intrude on them this time.

FIN


End file.
